{wedding wednesday: the bridesmaids}

It’s Wednesday again, my favorite day on Something Charming! I’m especially excited about today’s topic, mainly because I’m going to be a bridesmaid in a few weeks. Even I needed a little refresher course…

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The biggest piece of advice (and comfort, I suppose) I can give you is to wait to choose your bridesmaids until you are absolutely sure of who you want standing up there with you. It may seem like it’s a good idea to propose to your girlfriends as soon as he proposed to you, but you may want to hold off until you decide a wedding date. You never know what will happen between you and your friends between now and your wedding, especially if you’re having a long engagement. But, if you do choose someone to be bridesmaid that you later regret, don’t stress over it too much. It happens to all of us, and the best you can do is remember the good times when looking back at the pictures. I’m speaking from experience.

Anyway, any woman reading this post needs to take note. If you aren’t a bride yet (or anytime in your life), you’ll more than likely be a bridesmaid. But don’t worry. You technically aren’t obligated to anything as a bridesmaid, other than general support and just being there on the wedding day.

There are a lot of negative things said about being a bridesmaid. Stereotypically, it’s seen as demeaning and painful, especially if you’re single. But really, you get to be there for someone as their friend as they make the biggest commitment of their life. That seems pretty cool to me.

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It may be inevitable that your friend will become unmanageable at least once before the wedding. Just having a ring on her finger does not give her an excuse to treat her friends and family poorly, but it’s really important that you choose your battles. If she becomes completely unbearable, it’s perfectly acceptable to ask her to tone it down. But threatening to quit the bridal party should only be saved for an extreme situation. If she becomes downright mean to you or anyone else in the bridal party, and you feel as if your only option is to refuse to stand with her, be prepared to potentially ruin the friendship forever.

Now, this is one trend that I am 100% behind. Women come in all shapes and sizes, and it’s impossible {or, nearly impossible} to find one dress that will flatter them all equally. If you really want to be an amazing bride and friend, let them choose their own dresses. You can still give them guidelines, such as a fabric, style, or color.

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There are so many things I could say about bridesmaids, especially what a great honor and responsibility it is. If you have any questions at all, you are more than welcome to email me, ask it in the comments below, or tweet at me.